[mamottawa]

The Globe and Mail

Ontario to overhaul adoption laws Tuesday, March 29, 2005 Updated at 2:26 PM EST

Canadian Press

Toronto — Adults who were adopted as children in Ontario will soon have the right to find out more about their birth parents.

The province introduced legislation Tuesday to overhaul adoption disclosure laws to help both adoptees and birth parents get access to more information.

The changes also include protections to respect the rights of parents who do not want to be contacted by children they gave up for adoption years ago.

Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello said the new rules come 78 years to the day after Ontario amended the Adoption Act in 1927 to seal adoption records.

“It was a time when unwed mothers were often sent away or given ultimatums by their parents,” Ms. Pupatello said in the legislature.

“Ontario has changed, and it's time our adoption information laws changed too.”

For years, New Democrat Marilyn Churley has been pushing for adoption records to be opened.

Under the changes, adoptees over the age of 18 will be able to obtain copies of their original birth records, which will give them their original birth name and may identify birth parents.

Birth parents could also apply to have information from their child's records and adoption orders once the adoptee has reached 19.

“We believe that individuals who are trying to learn about their identity and personal history should be able to do so without unnecessary hardship and delay,” Ms. Pupatello said.

Both adopted children and their parents will have the right to put a “no contact” notice on their file.

An individual who violates a “no contact” notice may be fined up to $50,000.

“This is extremely important; the right to information is not the same as a right to a relationship,” Ms. Pupatello said.

There are 57,000 adoptees and birth relatives on Ontario's adoption disclosure register waiting to be reunited. Those searches can take up to three years.

Last year, only 887 adopted individuals and birth relatives on the register were reunited.

Ms. Pupatello said the changes reflect the experiences of other provinces, as well as Europe, the United States and Australia.